The holidays are here. Thanksgiving was great. Christmas and New years is right around the corner. Everyone is getting ready to deal with the inlaws, eat way too much food, and watch a football game.

The question that’s been on everyone’s mind for awhile now, has been; ” Is it safe to travel? “. The conclusion that I came to was” Yes, it is”.

We are all scared right now because of Muslim extremist groups. Rightly so but, have our fears taken too much control over our lives? How bad is it affecting your holidays? I hear people talking about canceling their flights because of the attacks in Paris last week. This was the single deadliest terrorist attack in French history, that is true.

Up until now though France has been a safer country to live in than the US. In the 21 st century there have been under 50 deaths due to terrorist bombings or shootings in all of France. Excluding Both World Wars all of France has suffered under 160 deaths due to terrorist attacks in the 20th century. That’s not bad, because we are talking about 100 years.

A terrorist attack is;

The FBI uses this definition: “Terrorism is the unlawful use of force and violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.”

It is no more dangerous now than it was in the 60’s. The difference is now we have a face to put with the danger. Radical Muslims!! When your enemy now has a face, he looks a lot more terrifying than before. A paranoia has set in on our country. The truth is, the world can be a dangerous place, with or without ISIS. Wherever you are or wherever you go, you will be at risk for something bad to happen.

Here are some statistics on Terror attacks in the US since 1970. These facts are from Wikipedia.

In the 70’s there were 16 attacks.

In the 80’s there were 3 attacks .

In the 90’s there were7 attacks .

In the 2000’s there were 31 attacks.

In the 2010’s there have been 15 attacks.

These #’s are misleading though. When we think of a terrorist attack we always think of something big, where the damage and casualties are staggering. That is not the case though. Look at the definition of terrorism above again. It says” the unlawful use of force to coerce in furtherance of political or social objectives.” It doesn’t say how big or how many are involved in the attack. The thing you should look for when reading about a terrorist attack is,,,, was it a mass murder or a single act of violence by one man in the name of his faith?

For instance here are some examples on Wikipedia’s list of terrorist attacks;

9/11 USA, New York, NY
Islamic hijackers steer two planes packed with fuel and passengers into the World Trade Center, killing hundreds on impact and eventually killing thousands when the towers collapsed. At least 200 are seriously injured.

3/19/2002 USA, Tucson, AZ
A 60-year-old man is gunned down by Muslim snipers on a golf course.

5/27/2002 USA, Denton, TX
Muslim snipers kill a man as he works in his yard.

7/4/2002 USA, Los Angeles, CA
Muslim man pulls out a gun at the counter of an Israeli airline and kills two people.

So you see terrorist attacks are defined the same but should not be categorized the same. On the whole list I saw only about 4 that can be defined as a mass murder. The others all were random acts of violence, basically “Hate Crimes”

Mass Murder defined;

Mass murder (sometimes interchangeable with “mass destruction”) is the act of murdering several or more people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time. The FBI defines mass murder as murdering three or more persons during an event with no “cooling-off period” between the murders.

Mass Shooting defined;

Mass shooting refers to an incident involving multiple victims of gun violence. Mass shootings can be a form of mass murder, which is commonly categorized as the murder of four or more people with no cooling off period.

The US statistics on the other hand are quite shocking. According to Wikipedia, there have been over 100 mass murders in the country since the 70’s. Interestingly enough it started with the Manson Family murderers in 1969. These are not religion related.

I hope I didn’t freak you out with all these facts. My point to all this is that we don’t have to feel like prisoners because of the threat of a terrorist attack.

We haven’t had a plane hijacked since 9-11. There have only been six planes ever hijacked in the US. So don’t be afraid to fly.

There have only been 4 railway attacks in the world since 2010. So don’t be afraid to take the train.

Your as safe now as you’ve ever been. I’ve got a better chance of getting hit by a bus than kicking the bucket in a terrorist attack.

Have a great Holiday season. Feel free to travel our country as you please.

This article was in no way meant disrespectful for those who have died or been affected in anyway from a terror attack. Nor am I in agreement with any terror group, middle eastern or not.

Best Wishes,

My name is Will Garrett. I am a Travel Agent in California. I love what I do and I’m always looking for more people to help. Whether that is to plan your ideal family vacation to the Caribbean for ten days, or a romantic couples retreat to Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

I will also help you become a travel agent, so you can build a rewarding business for you and your family as well. I can help you discover your new Career. Being a travel agent is being a problem solver, a researcher,and a professional planner.

You get to study the beautiful and exotic place’s in our world. Find out everything you can about what they have to offer, then you get to help make someones dreams come true by planning out all the details and making all the arrangements.

Switzerland otherwise called the ‘roof of the world’ is a land-locked country in central Europe. Bordering five countries: Austria, Germany, France, Italy and Lichtenstein, it is a true paradise. Known for its lakes, towns, fields, mountains, villages, cities, culture there is almost everything a tourist wants to find.

Top 5 Cities to Visit

Zurich
Largest city & financial center of Switzerland.
Cafés, traditional shops, famous art galleries & museums are in abundance.
You can take a strolling walk to enjoy Lake Zurich.
Train ride is available to Uetliberg Mountains that gives a panoramic view of the city & country side.

Geneva
Lies on western shore of Lake Geneva.
Snow-capped mountains cover the city (awesome view).
Walk; rent a bike or public transport, all at your convenience.
Top locations include farmed water fountain, Reformation Wall, Place Bourg du Four, St. Peter’s Cathedral & the birthplace of UN.

Lausanne
International Olympic Committee’s residence
A scenic city and inspirational destination for sports fans.
Do not miss the Olympic Museum & Lausanne cathedral.
It’s just 40 minutes from Geneva.

Bern
A medieval iconic city & official Switzerland capital.
Most famous for Zytglogge, an antique clock tower.
The old-world charm makes it a UNESCO world heritage site.
Has the longest shopping boardwalk in Europe.
Attractions: bear park, rose garden, fine arts museum, national history museum, Federal Palace, Cathedral of Bern, and Town Hall.

Basel
Located near River Rhine.
Industrial & pharmaceutical hub.
Highest number of museums, a culture-centric city.
Attractions: Zoo, toy museum, paper mill museum, Basel minster, Art museum, Rathaus & Marktplatz etc.
There are plenty of other locations that offer scenic beauty, adventure & fun in Switzerland. They are small yet lovely all year round. Some of them are –
Lucerne – a dense city in central Switzerland, you can visit Mt. Pilatus, lake Lucerne, Chapel Bridge, Mt. Rigi, transport museum etc.
Interlaken – popular as a tourist resort, it possesses three mountains- Eiger, Jungfrau & Monch. Camping activities are available at the nearest Bernese Oberland Alps.
Zermatt – the small town is famous for skiing & mountaineering due to Matterhorn Mountains. Walking is a favorite here as gasoline driven vehicles are not permitted.
Montreaux – located at the heart of Swiss Riviera, the town has an 11th-century castle “Chillon”, which has courtyards, tower, frescoes, dungeons, house weaponry, & furniture.
St. Moritz – an expensive & rich people’s hub, the city is a winter resort offering summer & winter sports.
Rhine Falls – the largest waterfall in Europe where you can see, feel & hear the pounding waters, visit castles & see the Rhine Falls basin.

Travelling is a great fun activity which I like most. This is a wonderful world, full of natural beauty and man-made attractions. There are many places of historical, cultural and religious significance worth seeing and visiting. Travelling provides an excellent opportunity of visiting the unseen places and meeting people from diverse cultural backgrounds, speaking different languages.

Travelling takes you away from your tense daily routine life and lands you at an exciting new place, much different from yours. You spend some time in a totally new environment, meet people from a different cultural background, visit places that you have never seen, eat food that is of a different taste and experience lot of other things. All that excites you and takes away all kind of tensions from your mind. You feel relaxed, start realizing new realities, accept cultural differences in living styles and come closer to other people. This brings international harmony, friendship and cooperation in many fields, useful for the mankind. Travelling also expands your mental horizon and increase your knowledge. You cannot learn from the books what you learn from your own experience.

Apart from pleasure travelling, people travel abroad for various other reasons. Students travel abroad to get admission in the institutions of their choice. Some people travel for business purposes while others travel for health reasons and medical checkups. The young people mostly travel for seeking employment or getting married. People also travel for professional requirements and family reunion, etc.

Some countries are much cheaper than your own country so visiting and spending some time in one of those countries actually saves you money which you can use for travel expenses.

Some countries need your services and, therefore, offer you better wages and other benefits. If you are a multi-lingual and have experience in teaching a language then you can become a language teacher and earn good money. You can also work as a translator or interpreter.

For whatever purpose you are travelling make sure that you possess proper travel documents and endorsement of visas for the countries you want to visit. It is also important to respect the law of the land you are visiting. Never engage yourself in any illegal activity.

It is advisable that you plan your visit 2/3 months ahead of travel and book your seats 3-4 weeks before travel so that you get the best deal on purchase of tickets from the airlines. Make your trip memorable and bring back home sweet memories of your visit abroad.

The island of Lamu is one of the most popular destinations of Kenya and is known for its calm and peaceful environment. The island has been a trading port for centuries and is now a certified tourist attraction. Located just northeast of Mombasa, Lamu’s main town, which shares the island’s name, is the oldest living town in East Africa and thus, is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Because of Lamu’s narrow streets and compact layout, riding a bicycle or donkey is the most practical and fun way of exploring the town. Walking around Lamu’s old settlement, whose history goes all the way back to the 12th century, is like walking into the past. You will see narrow streets with labyrinth-like layout, where donkeys still dominate the scene, and you will appreciate structural masterpieces that are inspired by Arab, Indian and European architecture. And yet, Lamu Old Town exudes that distinct Swahili design with its charming courtyards, rooftop patios, and coral stone buildings.

The Lamu Museum is one of the main attractions in town. Visiting the museum offers a great insight to the Swahili culture and to the region’s marine history. Head out to the Lamu Fort for another date with history. This two-story World Heritage Site was built in the early 10th century and features exquisite Swahili architecture. These days, the fort assumes the role of a public library and environmental museum.

After immersing yourself with the past, it is worthwhile to spend time with adorable and hardworking creatures in the Donkey Sanctuary. This facility was built with the intention to take care and maintain the donkey population in Lamu as they are the only means of transport on an island that has barely any motorized transport.

Lamu is a Muslim populated town, and visiting here promises to be a rich cultural experience, especially when most inhabitants still wear traditional attire. A strong representative of the religious culture reigning in Lamu is the Riyadha Mosque, which is the centerpiece of the annual Maulidi Festival, held to celebrate the birth of Prophet Mohammed.

Another great festival you may want to experience in town is the Lamu Cultural Festival. It is a four day celebration held every November and highlights grand artistic exhibits and cultural events. People in Lamu are known for their warmth and friendliness and many locals can converse in English. So don’t be afraid to engage them in conversations especially when you are in a traditional café trying out an authentic Arabian coffee.

The best way to reach Lamu Town is by air. There are regular direct flights coming from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, and the Moi International Airport in Mombasa. Once you land at the airport on Lamu Island, you will need to take a short boat or ferry ride to the opposite side where the town is situated. An alternative albeit less convenient option is to take a bus or hire a car to drive to Lamu from Mombasa.

Finding accommodation is not an issue in this African town as there is a range of lodging options. Beach hotels are quite popular but guesthouses are available for the budget conscious. Lamu also has a growing luxury accommodation industry.